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Franchise Timeline

1900s

1910s

1920s

1930s

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

1900s

Founding members of the A's

1901 - The Philadelphia Athletics baseball club was founded as part of the brand new American Baseball League. Connie Mack managed the A's for 50 years, (1901-1950). During their 54 year stay in Philadelphia, they produced such Hall of Famers as: Frank Baker, Chief Bender, Ty Cobb, Mickey Cochrane, Eddie Collins Sr. Jimmie Foxx, Nelson Fox, Lefty Grove, George Kell, Nap Lajoie, Connie Mack, Eddie Plank, Al Simmons, Tris Speaker, Rube Waddell, and Zack Wheat. Some of them are better known for their play with other teams but all were A's at one time.

1902 - New York Giants Manager John McGraw dismissed the A's with contempt, calling them "The White Elephants," Mack defiantly adopted the White Elephant as the team insignia, and in 1902, the A's won the American League pennant. Rube Waddell joins Mack's Philadelphia Athletics in 1902 and goes 24-7, leading the AL in strikeouts for the first of six straight seasons.

1905 - A's are American League Champions again but in one of baseball's best postseason performances, Christy Matthewson shuts out the Athletics in Games One, Three, and Five, allowing only 14 total hits.

Chief Bender

1906 - Shorthanded because of injuries, Chief Bender is put in Left Field in the 6th inning in a game against the Boston Pilgrims. Bender hits 2 HRs, both inside the park.

1909 - Mack forms his famous "$100,000 Infield" of Stuffy McInnis, Eddie Collins, Jack Barry, and Frank Baker. Those four led the team to World Series wins in 1910, 1911, and 1913.
Philadephia's Shibe Park is dedicated as a record crowd of 31,160 sees 18-year-old John "Stuffy" McInnis make his ML debut at SS. Eddie Plank pitches the A's to an 8-1 win over Boston.

1910 - With sore-armed Eddie Plank unavailable, Connie Mack will squeeze 5 complete games out of 2 pitchers in the WS. The Athletics take the series and defeat the Chicago Cubs, 4 games to 1.

1910s

" Home Run" Baker

1911 - Frank Baker first led the American League in home runs in 1911, with 11; his two home runs in the '11 World Series that resulted in him being forever after known simply as "Home Run."

1913 - Eddie Plank outduels Christy Mathewson; his 2-hitter wins the 3-1 finale and the A's win the World Series defeating the NY Giants, 4 games to 1.

1914 - The Favored A's, American League Champs are upset in the Series 4 games to 0 by the "Miracle Braves".

1915 - The A's Herb Pennock comes within one out of pitching the first Opening Day no-hitter. A scratch single by Harry Hooper is the Red Sox' only hit in a 5-0 loss.

1916 - The Athletics set an AL record with their 19th loss in a row on the road. The streak ends the next day when they defeat Detroit, 7 - 1.

1917 - Making his major league debut with the Philadelphia Athletics on May 13 1901, Eddie Plank retires after finishing the season with the St. Louis Americans. He completes his career with a 326 - 194 record.

1918 - Connie Mack breaks precedent, goes outside organized baseball to civil court, and gets an injunction against the Boston Braves over a contract dispute involving pitcher Scott Perry, who has been winning games for the Athletics.

1920s

Shibe Park / Connie Mack Stadium

1920 - A's vice president Thomas Shibe denies charges that the baseballs currently being used are livelier. Shibe cites the abolition of the spitball and other "freak" pitches as the reason for the increase in HRs this season.

1924 - A's first baseman Joe Hauser, sets an AL record when he hits 3 HRs and a double for 14 total bases.

1925- Connie Mack signs a 17-year-old Jimmie Foxx and he converts Foxx to first base, where he became a regular in 1928; before long, Foxx was being called "the righthanded Babe Ruth."

Eddie Plank

1927 - The Phils beat the A's 1-0 for the benefit of the Eddie Plank Memorial Fund.

1928 - New York's George Pipgras and Waite Hoyt turn back the Athletics; The A's will take the last game of the series and leave town 1 1/2 back.

1929 - What many baseball historians will argue as the greatest team in baseball history, Connie Mack's 1929 championship team clinches the AL pennant with a 5-0 win over the White Sox. They go on to defeat the National League Champion Chicago Cubs in five games, highlighted by the A's record, 10 run 4th inning eruption in the A's Game 4 win.

1950s

1950 - Connie Mack's son, Earl, who had been assistant manager, assumes the duties of chief scout. Earl, who had hoped to succeed his father as manager, is replaced by Jimmie Dykes. Mickey Cochrane is named general manager.

1951 - The Athletics play their first home Opening Day night game; the Washington Senators prevail 6-1.

1954 - Slugger Gus Zernial hits the last grand slam in the history of the Philadelphia Athletics franchise, as the A's down the Red Sox 6-5.
The A's were sold to Arnold Johnson and moved to Kansas City, Mo.; they finish in sixth-place finish under manager Lou Boudreau.

1955 - The Athletics open their first season in Kansas City with a win over the Tigers, 6-2, before 32,844.

1957 - Athletics aquire Billy Martin from the Yankees due to fallout over the Copacabana incident.

1966 - John "Blue Moon" Odom blanks the Senators for 8 1/3 innings in the nightcap to run the A's scoreless string to 45 1/3 innings.

1967 - Kansas City pinch-running specialist Allan Lewis ties the ML record with 2 steals as a pinch runner in one inning.

1968 - The A's debut at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum by losing 4-1 to Baltimore. The A's move to Oakland in 1968 where they began a new era under Manager Bob Kennedy. They finish with a record of 82-80. Oakland's Catfish Hunter pitches a perfect game against the Twins, winning 3-0. The 22-year-old hurls the first AL regular season perfecto in 46 years striking out 11 and driving in all 3 A's runs.

1970s

1971 - The city of Philadelphia and the state of Pennsylvania declare a legal holiday to honor the A's manager on Connie Mack Day at Shibe Park.

The Orioles overcome 2 Reggie Jackson HRs to complete a sweep of Oakland in the LCS with a 5-3 victory.

1972 - The A's win the first of three World Series, with the surprise hero of Gene Tenace, who became the first player to homer in his first two WS at-bats, earning him the MVP trophy. They defeated Cincinnati Reds in a seven game series.

1973 - Catfish Hunter throws a 5-hitter as Oakland wins 3-0 to take the AL flag. The A's beat the New York Mets in the World Series, 4-3, with Reggie Jackson taking MVP honors.

Reggie Jackson

1974 - Joe Rudi hits Dodgers Mike Marshall's first pitch for a homer to give the the A's a third 3-2 win in the five-game series and clinch a third straight World Championship for the team. Dick Green, the A's second baseman, put on a brilliant defensive exhibition throughout the five-game Series and Rollie Fingers was named the Series MVP.

1976 - The A's trade prospective free agents Reggie Jackson and Ken Holtzman, together with a minor league pitcher, to the Orioles.

1978 - The U.S. Court of Appeals upholds an earlier court decision in support of Commissioner Kuhn's voiding of attempted player sales by A's owner Charlie Finley in June 1976. Finley's appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court will be rejected on October 2nd.

1979 - At Oakland, only 653 fans show up to watch the A's beat the Mariners 6-5.

1980s

1980 - Oakland's Rick Langford (13-9) defeats the Mariners 11-3 for his 17th consecutive complete game, the most in the majors since 1953.

1981 - After winning their first 8 games of the season on the road, the Oakland A's pound Seattle 16-1 in their home opener before a crowd of 50,256.

1982 - Rickey Henderson steals 2 bases in a 3-2 win over the Red Sox to give him 51 SBs in 51 games, the fastest anyone has ever reached 50 SBs in a season.

Dave Kingman

1984 - Dave Kingman hits 3 home runs--including his 12th career grand slam--and drives in 8 runs in the A's 9-6 win over the Mariners. It is Kingman's 5th career 3-HR game, one shy of the ML record held by Johnny Mize.

1984 - Oakland's Dave Kingman becomes the 21st player to hit 400 career home runs.

1986 - Oakland's Jose Rijo sets a club record with 16 strikeouts in 8 innings as the A's beat Seattle 7-2.

1987 - One day after hitting 3 home runs in Oakland's 13-3 rout of the Indians, A's rookie 1B Mark McGwire hits 2 more in a 10-0 Oakland romp to tie the ML record of 5 homers in 2 games.

1988 - Oakland beats Detroit 3-1 to extend its club-record winning streak to 14 consecutive games, the longest in the majors since 1977.

1989 - Prior to the start of Game Three of the World Series at Candlestick Park, an earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale devastated large parts of the Bay Area. The tragedy, the first of its kind to strike the World Series, forced postponement of the third game and caused Commissioner Fay Vincent to consider a change of venue for the rest of the Series. When the Series anticlimactically resumed 12 days later at San Francisco, the A's completed a sweep by winning back-to-back slugfests. Oakland beat Toronto 4-3 to win the ALCS 4-1 and advance to the World Series for the 2nd straight year.

1990s

1991 - Oakland's Rickey Henderson garners his 939th career stolen base in the 4th inning of a game against the Yankees to break Lou Brock's all-time mark.

1992 - Oakland OF Rickey Henderson steals the 1,000th base of his career in the 1st inning of the A's 7-6 win over Detroit.

1993 - Oakland OF Rickey Henderson steals his 24th base of the year in the Athletics' 4-0 loss to the White Sox. The SB is the 1,066th of his career, making him the world's all-time leader, surpassing the total of 1,065 of Yutaka Fukumoto, who played in Japan from 1970 to 1988.

1994 - Oakland P Bobby Witt narrowly misses hurling a perfect game, defeating KC on a 4-0, 1-hitter. Umpire Gary Cederstrom calls Greg Gagne safe on a close play at 1st in the 6th inning, for the Royals only hit, but TV replays show that Gagne was out.Oakland P Bobby Witt narrowly misses hurling a perfect game, defeating KC on a 4-0, 1-hitter. Umpire Gary Cederstrom calls Greg Gagne safe on a close play at 1st in the 6th inning, for the Royals only hit, but TV replays show that Gagne was out.

1996 - The Athletics open the season in Las Vegas since renovations to the Oakland Coliseum are still not finished. It is the first time since September 3, 1957 that major league teams have played in a minor league park.

1997 - In Oakland, Mark McGwire hits his 22nd homer as Oakland rallies for five runs in the seventh inning to beat Detroit, 9-8. It is McGwire's 10th homer in 19 games.

1998 - Oakland rookie OF Ben Grieve gets 5 hits in the Athletics' 11-4 win over Cleveland. He scores 4 runs in the contest while knocking in a pair.

1999 - The A's Tony Phillips celebrates his 40th birthday by hitting a game-winning home run to beat the Baltimore Orioles; he becomes just the fifth major-leaguer to crank one out on his 40th or later birthday.

2000s

2000 - A's Pitching Ace, Tim Hudson records his 20th victory on the last day of the season; the A's would clinch the A.L. West by 1/2 game.

2001 - This Oakland team finished with an impressive 102-60 record, good enough for second in the division and a Wild Card ticket to the playoffs -- a second consecutive American League Division Series matchup against the Yankees. Once again, the A's jumped out to a 2-0 series lead when one of the most infamous games in A's history took place at the Oakland Coliseum. New York led 1-0 in the seventh when, with two outs, Jeremy Giambi singled off Mike Mussina. Terrence Long followed with a hit down the right-field line, bringing Giambi around third. Right fielder Shane Spencer fired toward the plate, but his throw overshot two cutoff men and headed toward foul ground near the first-base line where Derek Jeter suddenly appeared. The Yankees shortstop grabbed the ball and, while heading the opposite direction, made a flip toward the plate. Giambi came in standing and was called out on the tag from catcher Jorge Posada, thus bringing to life "Slide, Jeremy, slide."

Jeremy's brother, Jason Giambi, followed up his MVP season with a .342 average and 38 home runs -- which landed him in second place behind Ichiro Suzuki for another MVP award. Meanwhile, third baseman Eric Chavez earned his first career Gold Glove award while also posting a .288 batting average and driving in 114 runs. On the mound, Mark Mulder led all pitchers with 21 wins to finish second next to Roger Clemens in Cy Young voting.

2002 - Oakland gave its fans one of the most memorable seasons in recent history by putting together 20 consecutive wins between August 13 and September 4 -- the longest winning streak in AL history. The A's brought out 55,528 fans to the 20th game of their historic streak, jumping out to an 11-0 lead against visiting Kansas City after three innings only to blow it and come back again. Pinch-hitter Scott Hatteberg homered in the bottom of the ninth inning to notch the win in true dramatic fashion. The A's finished first in their division with a 103-59 record but eventually lost the American League Division Series in five games to the Minnesota Twins. The unforgettable season was topped off with southpaw Barry Zito -- who tallied a 23-5 record and 2.75 ERA -- winning his first AL Cy Young Award. The 2002 season was the subject of Michael Lewis' 2003 best-selling book "Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game," which was later adapted into the Academy Award nominated film "Moneyball," starring actor Brad Pitt as A's GM Billy Beane.

2003 - Facing several challenges, including serious injuries to Mark Mulder and Jermaine Dye, Oakland managed to take home its third AL West title -- with a 96-66 record -- in its last four seasons. But the A's suffered a familiar heartbreak in October for the fourth straight year, falling to Boston, 3-2, in the American League Division Series. It was a bittersweet ending to a campaign which saw the A's welcome new stars Rich Harden and Keith Foulke.

Foulke finished with a 9-1 record, a 2.10 ERA and 43 saves to earn himself the AL saves crown after joining Mulder and catcher Ramon Hernandez in representing the A's at the All-Star Game. The Big Three of Mulder, Tim Hudson and Barry Zito combined for 45 wins and an average 3.04 ERA.

2004 - Despite winning at least 91 games for the fifth consecutive season, the A's were unable to make the playoffs, falling one game short of the American League West title. Tied with the Anaheim Angels heading into the final weekend of the season, the A's dropped the first two games of a winner-take-all three-game series. Star third baseman Eric Chavez and ace right-hander Tim Hudson each missed six weeks with injuries, so that the A's were able to stay afloat was something of an accomplishment, and shortstop Bobby Crosby's rookie season earned him a sweep of the three major AL Rookie of the Year awards.

2005 - The A's had a difficult task ahead them in the 2005 season after trading away starters Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder. They had a slow start and on May 29 their record stood at 17-32. But through June and July Oakland complied a 39-14 record and on Aug. 5 they became the first team in history to go from 15 games below .500 to 15 games above in the same season. But in September, Oakland went 11-17 and missed the playoff for the second straight year. The A's finished at 88-74 in second place in the American League behind the Angels.

2006 - The Oakland A's reached the American League Championship in 2006, doing so for the first time since 1992. After winning 93 games and winning the AL West by four games, Oakland beat Minnesota in three games before being swept by the Tigers in the ALCS. Oakland was led by the resurgence of Frank Thomas as the 38-year old hit 39 home runs and had 114 RBIs.

2007 - Coming off their first American League Championship appearance since 1992, the A's entered the 2007 campaign with high hopes and a new manager (Bob Geren) but ended with a third-place 76-86 finish in part due to several injuries, which proved to be a theme for Oakland in the later part of the decade. Early in the season, righty Dan Haren -- later traded in the winter -- emerged as the ace of the staff, and that status was confirmed by the nod he received to start for the American League in the Midsummer Classic. He finished the year with a team-leading 15 wins and 3.07 ERA.

For the first time in a while, the A's started September out of contention, and bad news continued to roll in with word that Mark Kotsay and Eric Chavez were out for the season; Buck needed elbow surgery, and Chavez was headed for an offseason in which his back and both shoulders went under the knife. The highlight of a 9-17 final month was the debut of highly touted rookie Daric Barton, who batted .347 over 18 games.

2008 - The A's watched an Oakland-record 21 rookies enter the scene in 2008 but, unfortunately, also saw just as many players go on and off the disabled list, as they used it a team-record 25 times. In the end, a season of countless highs and lows left the A's with a 75-86 mark -- good for a third-place American League West finish. Surprise catching sensation Kurt Suzuki quietly led the offense as the A's found themselves nine games over .500 on July 11 to come out as one of the feel-good stories of the first half. Following the trades of rotation leaders Rich Harden and Joe Blanton at midseason, though, Oakland's wins were far and few between -- evidenced by a 10-20 month of August.

In other happenings, Huston Street lost the closer role to Brad Ziegler, who turned heads around the baseball community with a modern-day record 39 scoreless innings to begin his big league career. The right-handed sidearmer began the streak on May 31 before watching it come to an end Aug. 14 after surrendering an RBI double to Tampa Bay's B.J. Upton. The feat left the Hall of Fame calling for several of Ziegler's personal items.

2009 - Oakland entered the season with a handful of big-name veterans -- including the likes of Matt Holliday, Nomar Garciaparra, Jason Giambi and Orlando Cabrera -- with high hopes of solidifying its otherwise young roster into potential playoff contenders. All four proved to be busts, though, and Garciaparra was the only one of the bunch left by season's end. A plethora of injuries -- 17 uses of the disabled list, to be exact -- further left Oakland in the shadows. The 2009 edition of the A's walked away as the first Oakland team since 1998 to finish in the American League West cellar thanks to a 75-87 record. Furthermore, the offensive-weak A's, who finished last in the AL in home runs, lingered longer (160 days) in last place than any team in the franchise's 109-year history.

Not to be forgotten, though, were several individual accomplishments -- most notably by closer Andrew Bailey, who acted as the A's lone representative at the All-Star Game before going on to receive AL Rookie of the Year honors. Arriving at the big league scene with his first save May 8, Bailey made up for his belated launch by posting 26 saves -- the last 21 consecutively -- as he broke the previous club record of 23 by a rookie set in 2005 by Huston Street. Fellow youngster pitchers Brett Anderson and Trevor Cahill further represented an in-season rebirth, as they aided a starting staff that compiled the AL's fourth-lowest ERA while also setting a franchise record for strikeouts.

2010 - With an 81-81 record, the A's posted their first non-losing record in four years, staying in contention in the American League West until late September, when the Rangers captured the division crown on Oakland's turf Sept.25. The club suddenly found itself in the midst of a six-game losing streak but managed to sweep Seattle in a four-game road series at season's end to rebound and reach the elusive .500 mark and claim second in the West - marking its highest finish since 2006.

Highlighting the season was a young pitching staff that proved to be the best in the Majors. Anchored by 22-year-old All-Star righty Trevor Cahill, Oakland's starting rotation -- averaging 23 years of age for most of the season -- compiled a 3.47 ERA, which ranked first in all of baseball and the lowest by an AL team since 1990, when Boston posted a 3.32 ERA. The team's bullpen, led by second-time All-Star Andrew Bailey, held its own, ranking sixth in the league with a 3.75 ERA with just 13 blown saves, tying them for fewest in the AL. Overall, the A's pitching staff had a 3.27 ERA with Kurt Suzuki behind the plate, which was the lowest catchers ERA in the AL by more than half a run.

The A's did a multitude of damage on the basepaths, compiling 156 stolen bases - a mark that represented the ninth best single-season total in Oakland history and the most by an A's club since the 1989 team stole 157. They ranked third in the AL and the Majors in steals and led the AL and ranked second in the Majors in stolen base percentage (80.4 percent).

2011 - With a 74-88 record, the A's were left staring down their fifth consecutive non-winning season. High expectations dwindled into underachieving performances and the usual array of injuries, but a late offensive surge and the arrival of manager Bob Melvin -- who took over for the dismissed Bob Geren -- in early June equated to a strong second-half showing. The A's went 35-35 during that time, all the while boosting its team batting average from .233 to .258.

Adding to the spark was Jemile Weeks, who was one of the American League's best rookies despite not joining the team until June 7. He paced the A's with a .303 batting average, which ranks second-best in Oakland history for a rookie. Around him, Josh Willingham enjoyed perhaps his best offensive season, posting career-bests in both home runs (29) and RBIs (98), the latter number representing the team's highest by an A's player since Frank Thomas tallied 114 in 2006. Coco Crisp stole a career-high 49 bases, which tied for the AL lead.

On the mound, the A's pitching staff compiled a 3.71 ERA, good for third in the AL, and set a franchise record with 1,160 strikeouts. Lefty Gio Gonzalez enjoyed his first All-Star selection, ultimately ending the year with a team-high 16 wins and 197 strikeouts. His 3.12 ERA ranked 10th in the league. Righty Andrew Bailey converted 24 of 26 (92.3 percent) save opportunities, which was the second-best percentage in the AL and the fourth-best single-season mark in Oakland history.

2010s

2010 - With an 81-81 record, the A's posted their first non-losing record in four years, staying in contention in the American League West until late September, when the Rangers captured the division crown on Oakland's turf Sept.25. The club suddenly found itself in the midst of a six-game losing streak but managed to sweep Seattle in a four-game road series at season's end to rebound and reach the elusive .500 mark and claim second in the West - marking its highest finish since 2006.

Highlighting the season was a young pitching staff that proved to be the best in the Majors. Anchored by 22-year-old All-Star righty Trevor Cahill, Oakland's starting rotation -- averaging 23 years of age for most of the season -- compiled a 3.47 ERA, which ranked first in all of baseball and the lowest by an AL team since 1990, when Boston posted a 3.32 ERA. The team's bullpen, led by second-time All-Star Andrew Bailey, held its own, ranking sixth in the league with a 3.75 ERA with just 13 blown saves, tying them for fewest in the AL. Overall, the A's pitching staff had a 3.27 ERA with Kurt Suzuki behind the plate, which was the lowest catchers ERA in the AL by more than half a run.

The A's did a multitude of damage on the basepaths, compiling 156 stolen bases - a mark that represented the ninth best single-season total in Oakland history and the most by an A's club since the 1989 team stole 157. They ranked third in the AL and the Majors in steals and led the AL and ranked second in the Majors in stolen base percentage (80.4 percent).

2011 - With a 74-88 record, the A's were left staring down their fifth consecutive non-winning season. High expectations dwindled into underachieving performances and the usual array of injuries, but a late offensive surge and the arrival of manager Bob Melvin -- who took over for the dismissed Bob Geren -- in early June equated to a strong second-half showing. The A's went 35-35 during that time, all the while boosting its team batting average from .233 to .258.

Adding to the spark was Jemile Weeks, who was one of the American League's best rookies despite not joining the team until June 7. He paced the A's with a .303 batting average, which ranks second-best in Oakland history for a rookie. Around him, Josh Willingham enjoyed perhaps his best offensive season, posting career-bests in both home runs (29) and RBIs (98), the latter number representing the team's highest by an A's player since Frank Thomas tallied 114 in 2006. Coco Crisp stole a career-high 49 bases, which tied for the AL lead.

On the mound, the A's pitching staff compiled a 3.71 ERA, good for third in the AL, and set a franchise record with 1,160 strikeouts. Lefty Gio Gonzalez enjoyed his first All-Star selection, ultimately ending the year with a team-high 16 wins and 197 strikeouts. His 3.12 ERA ranked 10th in the league. Righty Andrew Bailey converted 24 of 26 (92.3 percent) save opportunities, which was the second-best percentage in the AL and the fourth-best single-season mark in Oakland history.

2012 - Coming off their fifth consecutive non-winning season, the A's marched into the 2012 campaign with low expectations following an offseason that brought about a rebuild. Yet they defied all odds and managed to compile a 94-68 record, which was second best in the American League and tied for fourth best in the Major Leagues. Oakland won the AL West for the fifth time in the past 13 years and the 15th time in Oakland history. The A's clinched the division with a win over Texas on the final day of the regular season becoming the first team to come back from a deficit of five games with nine remaining to win a division or pennant. The A's spent one day solely in first place, staging one of the most remarkable comebacks in Major League history. The A's took the Tigers to Game 5 in the AL Division Series, ultimately surrendering to a dominant Justin Verlander to end a remarkable season.

It included a Major League-leading 14 walk-off victories, including eight within a 16-game home stretch from June 21 through July 22 under the watch of manager Bob Melvin, who was later named AL Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers Association of America. GM Billy Beane was also selected as The Sporting News Executive of the Year.

The A's posted the best pitching staff ERA (3.48) by an Oakland team in 22 years (3.18 in 1990), and the bullpen (2.90) led the AL. The club's staff boasted 12 rookies, who combined for 319 games pitched and 54 wins -- both Oakland records. Youngsters Jarrod Parker and Tommy Milone tallied 13 each, setting an Oakland rookie record for most wins in a season.

At the plate, offseason addition and Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes hit a team-leading .292 with 23 home runs and 82 RBIs in 129 games during an impressive rookie season. Josh Reddick also enjoyed a breakout season, notching 32 home runs and 85 RBIs in 156 games.

2013 - The A's returned to postseason play for the second consecutive season after claiming their sixth American League West title in the last 14 years. By posting a 96-66 record, they finished 5 1/2 games ahead of the second-place Rangers, which was the A's largest margin since 1992 when they won the West by six games and it also marked the fourth time in Oakland history the A's have won consecutive division championships (1971-75, 1988-90, 2002-03). 2013 marked the A's sixth AL West crown in the last 14 years and their 16th since moving to Oakland. Only the Yankees (18) and Braves (17) have more division championships. The A's appeared in postseason play for the 17th time in Oakland history and 25th time in Athletics history. Only the Yankees (51), Dodgers (27), and Cardinals (26) have more postseason appearances. The A's were the only team in the Majors to post a winning record in all six months of the season. They won their most games since 2003 and spent 82 days in sole possession of first place en route to another AL Division Series appearance. For the second consecutive season, the A's faced the Tigers and, again, took them to five games, in the end bowing down to a dominant Justin Verlander.

Nevertheless, it remained a mightily successful season. Oakland's pitching staff compiled a 3.56 ERA, good for second in the AL. The starting staff finished with a 3.72 ERA, including a 2.65 mark from Bartolo Colon, who at 40 years old won a team-leading 18 games and earned his first All-Star nod.

Closer Grant Balfour also earned an All-Star selection, the first of his career. The right-hander compiled 38 saves, which ranked sixth in the AL. Colon and Balfour were joined in New York for All-Star festivities by teammate Yoenis Cespedes, who, despite not being named an All-Star himself, emerged as the winner of the Home Run Derby.

2013 also proved to be a breakout one for third baseman Josh Donaldson, who was the A's best offensive performer, batting .301 with 24 home runs and 93 RBIs in 158 games. Overall, the A's ranked third in the AL and the Majors with 186 home runs. Following the season, GM Billy Beane was named Baseball America's Major League Executive of the Year.

2014 - The A's finished the season with a 88-74 record under manager Bob Melvin and in second place behind the Angels. They held one of two American League Wild Card spots, ultimately losing an epic 12-inning winner-take-all game to the Royals in Kansas City.

The A's went 29-38 after the All-Star break, and 59-36 before it.

Six A's players (Yoenis Cespedes, Josh Donaldson, Brandon Moss, Derek Norris, Scott Kazmir, Sean Doolittle) were named to the AL All-Star team, the organization's most selections in 39 years. In addition, right-hander Jeff Samardzija was selected to the National League All-Star Team after being traded by the Cubs to Oakland with fellow starter Jason Hammel.

Lester, another All-Star, and Samardzija were phenomenal for the A's, providing 11 wins in a combined 27 starts in green and gold.

Doolittle was anointed closer midseason and owned the best strikeout-walk ratio (11.13) among Major League relievers, fanning 89 and walking just eight in 62 2/3 innings.

Sonny Gray was named AL Pitcher of the Month in both April and July, marking only the third time in Oakland history that a pitcher won the award twice in the same season, and he finished his first full season in the big leagues 14-10 with a 3.08 ERA.

Overall, the A's compiled a 3.22 ERA, which ranked second in the AL and third in the Majors.

2015 - The A's made a series of trades ahead of the season, resulting in the departures of All-Stars Josh Donaldson, Brandon Moss, Jeff Samardzija and Derek Norris, and they struggled out of the gate with their revamped roster, succumbing to a bevy of injuries throughout the year and finishing with the American League's worst ledger at 68-94. That tied for the fourth worst record in Oakland history and was the worst since 1997 (65-97).

The club's rotation, led by Sonny Gray and Scott Kazmir, the latter of whom was dealt to Houston at the Trade Deadline, combined for a 3.91 ERA, good for third in the AL. But the bullpen posted an AL-high 4.56 ERA, contributing to the team's 19-35 record in one-run games. The defense played a part in that, too, committing a Major League-leading 126 errors.

Gray's work was a bright spot throughout, though, as the right-hander went 14-7 with a 2.73 ERA in 31 starts and was named to his first All-Star team. He finished third in AL Cy Young voting.

Gray was joined at the Midsummer Classic in Cincinnati by battery mate Stephen Vogt, who led the A's with a .341 on-base percentage. He had a .277 average while catching, leading all AL catchers. Vogt also took home an Esurance MLB Award, earning the Best MLB Interview Award for his impression of the late Chris Farley's Saturday Night Live character, motivational speaker Matt Foley.

Outfielder Billy Burns hit .294 in 125 games in his rookie campaign, leading Major League rookies in stolen bases (26) and multi-hit games (47) and topping AL rookies in hits (153) to finish fifth in AL Rookie of the Year voting. Fellow rookie Mark Canha also enjoyed a standout season. The Rule 5 selection hit .254 with 16 home runs and 70 RBIs -- most among AL rookies -- in 124 games.